OUR CHANGING SUFFOLK COUNTRYSIDE
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where p r e v a i l e d e x t e n s i v e f e n a n d a l d e r carr. Now little remains of these ancient forests : some of the existing woods and copses have an endemic flora showing they have never been under the plough and are traceable as woods on the earliest Suffolk maps. However, many large woods shown on the first Survey Maps of about 1838 have vanished and others reduced to copses. The preservation of woods and coverts for game prevented many more being felled in Victorian times after the repeal of the corn laws. Once beautiful woods have become scenes of desolation as every sizable tree and even sapling removed in recent years, often destroying in a few weeks what took hundreds of years to achieve. The lovely endemic flora has vanished and biambles, rank grasses, rushes and bracken now flourish. Why should not these woods be replanted ? The forestry commission is not interested in such areas, as they are too small and uneconomic to maintain. Natural regeneration is very slow and takes about fifty to hundred years according to type of soil, but this rarely is allowed and before it is complete the whole area of a wood is again cut for its saleable stakes. Between the wars a deal of land was going out of cultivation and returning to scrub or heather ; and if much of it had not been reclaimed, because of the second German war, would have eventually become woodland. Large areas were between Haiesworth and Beccles, at Theberton, Whattisham, Grundisburgh, Charsfield, Monewdon, Rickinghall and in many other parishes ; but practically all has now been reclaimed. These areas were very rieh botanically and often a paradise of handsome species, especially the Orchidaceae, of which Ophrys apifera, Huds. and Orchis maculata, L., often occured in thousands. O. mascula, L., O. morio. L., O. pyramidalis, L., Habenaria virescens, Dr. and LĂ„stera ovata, R. Br., were locally common ; Ophrys museifera, Huds. and hybrid forms of Marsh and Spotted Orchis were not uncommon. St. Johns Worts (Hypericum), Centuary (Erythraea), Yellow Wort (Blackstonia perfoliata, Huds.), Carline Thistle (iCarlina vulgaris, L.), Feiwort (Gentiana amarella, L.), and many other plants produced a very charming floral picture. In time, as the trees or the scrub developed, the flora changed and woodland types arrived : but this change has happened in only a few instances. The scrub has grown into woodland and there is good young timber and the land area has not been wasted.
in the Valleys very
Our flora has suffered by the removal of old hedges due to the merging of several flelds into one area. The flowers and shrubs of some of these hedges were relics of former ancient woodlands and marked their boundary. If you look at many old Suffolk paintings or engravings you will notice that hedges were tall, thick and well timbered ; fields were small: there was much charm in the scenes; timber of all sorts played so important a part in the life of the Community that it was encouraged wherever possible.